Word Origin & History

alpha from L. alpha, from Gk. alpha, from Heb. or Phoen. aleph (q.v.). The Greeks added -a because Gk. words cannot end in most consonants. Sense of "beginning of anything" is from late 14c.; that of "first in a sequence" is from 1620s. Alpha male was in use by c.1960 among scientists studying animals; applied to humans in society from c.1992.

Example Sentences for alpha

These have been named the alpha, beta, and gamma rays, respectively.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha, or Algenib, in the center of the row.

Took his finger off the button and there we were: Alpha Centauri.

This is a star of the first magnitude, Alpha in the constellation of the Centaur.

The Valhalla was on the return leg of a journey to Alpha Centauri.

Deuterons or alpha particles are obtained in a similar fashion using deuterium or helium gas in place of hydrogen.

The child requires training from the Alpha to the Omega of life.

When they emerged from the escalators, Alpha was just touching the western horizon, and Beta was a little past zenith.

This is the Alpha and the Omega—the principle, the potency, and the act—of Mastership.